You vs. Your Body: Why Winning Means Losing So Much

We are sent daily messages telling us that our body is ugly, gluttonous, and unreliable. We are bombarded with pictures of a singular body type that we are all supposed to have (naturally or not); We are told that we eat too much (or at least too much fat..or is it carbs now?); We are told to listen to a doctor, celebrity, or diet book by that doctor or celebrity to know what and when to eat instead of our body’s own cues.

Basically, by listening to these messages, we have begun a battle inside of us. We are waging war against ourselves. If you win this battle, if you you are able to suppress your body’s innate instincts of hunger, thirst, and rest, you haven’t won at all. You have, in fact, lost one of the most precious things–YOU. With every bite of diet food, you are betraying your need for fat and carbohydrate. With every mile ran out of guilt, you are rejecting playful, enjoyable movement. With every self-condemning thought, you are betraying yourself.

If you want to play the diet game and war against this body of yours, you will be forfeiting self-respect, self-compassion, but most of all, self-love. Not the glamorous victory you imagined? Choose to end the war. Sign a peace treaty. Be an ally with your body. That’s what I call a winning team.